Archive for the ‘Kids’ activities’ Category

I’ve posted on this idea before, but I wanted to bring it up one more time. Child artwork makes great wrapping paper. Not only does it help clear out your cabinet full of salvaged artwork, but it’s a money-saver (no need to buy a new roll for a special occasion), it’s unique and thoughtful, and of course, it’s a green solution for wrapping a package.

Smaller packages work best when using artwork as wrapping paper. However, if you have several larger pieces that are color coordinated (from the last paint session where your child created 8 different masterpieces), you can easily tape pages together to wrap a larger gift.

Turn it into a project! Gather several pieces of large paper and spend an afternoon creating wrapping paper for the upcoming gift-giving season. You’ll be giving your kids a constructive activity while making cheap and one-of-a-kind wrapping paper.

And did you know, that an old table cloth work great as a drop cloth for kids’ painting projects?

And when you’re done with said art project, be sure to keep all large pieces of artwork to use them later as wrapping paper for gifts. We did this recently for another child’s birthday party gift and the unique wrapping paper was a hit with kids and parents.

Never in a million years would I have thought that marshmallows could serve any other purpose besides the gooey guts of a s’more, or of course, the topping on sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. But in the world of repurposeful living, marshmallows can do so much more.

Keep brown sugar soft. Pop a marshmallow into your bag of brown sugar and it will keep it from becoming rock-hard.

Keep birthday candles from dripping onto cake. Before inserting birthday candles on a cake, stick a marshmallow on the bottom of each candle. That way, the wax will drip onto the marshmallows, not the cake.

Make a marshmallow gun/shooter. I imagine that one day, I’ll come home to find my husband creating something like this — you know, “for the kids.”

Prevent ice cream drips in sugar or waffle cones. I love a pointy sugar cone as much as the next person, but there are times when the bottom hole drips out ice cream, which is a) annoying and b) it wastes my precious ice cream! But, if you stuff a mini marshmallow in the bottom before filling the cone, you’ll have no more drips.

Impromptu cupcake icing. A minute before your cupcakes are done, pull them out of the oven and place a large marshmallow on top (or several minis), place the cupcakes back in the oven for a minute and ta-da, instant icing! No spreading necessary!

…with this new site I found, just today: Dollar Store Crafts. Ok so, yes, some of the crafts involve buying things (on the way-way cheap) from the dollar store, but many of them involve repurposing things you already own! For example:

Summer is coming. And with that, comes the all-too-familiar sighs of “Moo-ooom, I’m boooored. What can we do?” I don’t yet have school aged children, but I can remember uttering those words as a child. I was told: “Go read a book!” If (like me) your child shutters at the thought of quietly reading a book, maybe one of these crafts — using repurposed materials, of course — will pique your interests.

We all know that a large cardboard box will entertain a child for hours (maybe even over several days), but beyond that, there are tons of projects than can be created from a simple cardboard box.

Clipboard. Cut a piece of cardboard to 9″x12″, attach a large binder clip to the top and bam, instant clipboard!

Sticker board. On your next car trip, give your bored-to-tears child a lap-sized piece of cardboard and a few sheets of stickers. Depending on the age of your child, you can make this simple or more intricate to meet their development level. For example, if your child is learning numbers, draw a large grid on the piece of cardboard and number each of the squares. Then, challenge her to put the corresponding number of stickers on each square.

Boomerang. Cardboard is much safer than wood when it comes to flying objects. Check out the instructions here.

Weaving loom. For the artsy-craftsy child in your life, this is an excellent project. It helps a child work on his fine motor skills and helps build concentration and patience (wait, maybe I should do this!).

Despite the high today of only 70 degrees, I jumped the gun and brought out our kiddie pool. Since my boys are now exhausted and asleep, I can positively say that it was worth it! Without a doubt, the kiddie pool is a beloved summer pasttime — it’s cheap, simple and enduring entertainment (we were outside for nearly 3 hours today!).

However, filling up the kiddie pool takes a lot of water over the course of a summer. With a few extra, simple steps, you can make the most of your use of water, as well as time, while entertaining the heck out of your kids.

How to “greenify” your kiddie pool

Cover it. If properly covered, your kiddie pool’s water can last nicely for 3 or 4 days. Using a cover, like a plastic tarp, old shower curtain or liner, vinyl table cloth or a sheet of plywood, helps keep out bugs and debris, and it prevents mosquitos from inhabiting and laying eggs in the water (eww!). A cover also helps insulate the water — children generally prefer nice, tepid water instead of the ice-cold stuff that comes straight out of the hose.

Strain it. After your kids are done playing for the day, and before you cover your kiddie pool, strain it to remove as much debris as possible. You can use a regular kitchen colander, a fish tank strainer or a mesh bag.

Don’t dump it! When it comes time to refill your pool with new water, don’t just dump the water out! Use it to water outdoor plants, indoor plants or your lawn. If your plants have recently been watered, find a way to save the pool water in another container (or two). Painters’ buckets work well, or add it to your rain barrel if you have one. Again, be sure the container has a lid to prevent mosquito farming.